The Rogue Prince of Persia Is Still Looking For Dead Cells' Brand Of Magic

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Indie studio Evil Empire secured a legacy with its first release: the magnificent and best-selling Metroidvania roguelite. Teaming up with Ubisoft for the cumbersomely-titled , the new collaboration is essentially a reskinned and rebranded version of their debut patterned after the long-running adventure franchise. With its animated presentation and greater focus on platforming, remixes predictable roguelite elements – item unlocks, replayable structure, a narrative which develops over subsequent runs – but is notably underweight on content and novelty, even for an Early Access product.

first struck when the roguelite iron was hot, and the sales numbers followed. Players took on the role of The Prisoner, a kind of mold mass tethered to a limitless supply of corpses, and forged through dangerous biomes packed with monsters, weapons, and tools to find. The 2D perspective and exploration mechanics fit the game squarely in the Metroidvania mold, and a slew of unlockables ensured that each randomized run felt distinct, along with its alternate routes, puzzles, bosses, and permanent upgrades.

Beyond creating a debate over definition that has spanned years, roguelikes are also staples in gaming. Here's the 10 best roguelikes right now.

boasts a similar approach, but the Prince at its center is much more nimble than The Prisoner. Levels are similarly random here, but combat is simplified and tuned down, with greater priority placed on deadly platforming challenges. There are no permanent upgrades to track down outside a few weapons and trinkets, nor any additional movement abilities or power-ups. This drains any sense of tangible growth from later runs, which compromises its roguelite promise and makes the amalgamation of these two franchises feel skin-deep at best.

The notion of combining a roguelite with ’s longstanding time-manipulation conceit is an obvious gimme. There’s little setup required or presented for the core idea of , just that Prince is trying to save his